EX POSTMASTER GENERAL DENIES BENEFITTING FROM SOCIAL CASH TRANSFER MONEY-
THE Economic and Crimes Court Court last week heard that former Postmaster General MacPherson Chanda had not benefited in any way from the K27, 363,578 million Social Cash Transfer, which was deposited in Barclays Bank fixed deposit account as both the principal amount and its interest had always been available in the bank.
According to the documents presented before the Economic and Crime Court as evidence, both the principle amount of K27, 363,578 million and the interest accrued thereof of K31,486.86 had never gone missing.In this matter Chanda and two others have pleaded with the Economic and Financial Crimes Division-High Court, to set aside the two years jail sentence passed by the lower court, contending that there was no evidence to prove that fraudulently benefited they from the Social Cash Transfer funds. According to the Barclays Bank statemets presented before Judges Ann Malata-On-onuju, Pixie Yangailo and Vincent Siloka, Chanda has submitted that as Postmaster
General, he could not disburse the money to the beneficiaries of the Social Cash transfer because the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services had not provided the schedule for the exercise.
In his submission to the court, Chanda stated that K27,363, 578 had been deposited in the fixed account because it was waiting for instructions through the provision of the schedule for beneficiaries for it to be disbursed.In July last year, Mr Chanda was jailed together with two former ZamPost directors, Mr Best Mwaichi and Mr Isaac Kamwimba, by the Ndola subordinate court under the Financial and Economic Crimes Division on 13 counts of theft by public servant involving over K300 million, Ndola Magistrate, Kaunda Sakwanda ordered the Attorney-General to recover, on behalf of the State, the K335 million Social Cash Transfer funds which the three unlawfully diverted, At the hearing of the appeal held yesterday before Judges Ann Malata-Ononuju, Pixie Yangailo and Vincent Siloka, the appellants’ lawyers argued that there was no relationship between the 13 counts levelled
against the trio and the evidence produced by the prosecution (State).
They argued that the State failed to prove how the ex Post Master General and the other two benefitted from the accrued interest from the principal amount which was deposited in the said fixed account.
It was further contended the record showed that there was no amount of money that had left the coffers of ZamPost into the pockets of the appellants
Counsel Jonas Zimba contended that their clients were subjected to an unfair procedure making the proceedings a nulity
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